Improvement in roasting and desulphurizing ores



G. W. BAKER. METALLURGICAL REVERBERATORY FURNACE.

Patented Mar. 28, 1865.

rm eonms PEYERS co, Fno'roumdv. WASHINGTON, n C- UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFIC G. WV. BAKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,984, dated March 28, 1865.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, G. XV. BAKER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Metallurgical Reverberating Furnace; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of my invention, taken in the line a: :r, Fig. 4; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same taken, in the line y 3 .Fig. 4.; Fig. 3, a vertical section of the same, taken in the line z 2, Fig. 4; Fig. 4, a horizontal section of the same, taken in the line as 00, Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a horizontal section of a portion of the same, taken in line y 3 Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a new and improved combination-furnace for oxidizing and volatilizing pyritical and other ores containing the precious metals,iron, and copper; and it has for its object economy in fuel, compactness in arrangement, and the least possible amount of handling or manipulation in managing the furnace doing the roasting of the ore.

A. represents a blast-air-heating chamber which surrounds an upright steam-boiler, B, and O is a deep fire-chamber which extends from the grate-bars a up ward within the boiler, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The blast-chamber A is made to communicate with the ash-- pit Z) of the fire-chamber by means of a series of passages, 0, extending down through the masonry, and having their orifices at the rear and sides of the ash-pit, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The blast in chamber A may be created by an ordinary blower or by any other suitable means, the blast being introduced at the top and descending around the boiler B and through the masonry to the ash-pit, thereby becoming heated and supplying the fire in such condition.

The boiler B, at its lower part, is of annular form in its transverse section, in order that it may encompass the upper part of the firechamber, and in the upper part of this firechamber, resting upon the masonry thereof or the lining d of the boiler, there is a coil of pipe,D,the lower end of which passes through or taps the boiler, so as to communicate with it, the upper end passing up through the internal head-piece,e,of the boiler and above the water-level in the latter to the steam chamber or space f, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. This coil of pipe D, it will be seen, forms a portion of the boiler, and is a rapid steam-generator, as it has a large surface exposed to the direct action of the heat in fire-chamber O.

E represents a hot-air chamber, which is di rectly above theboiler, and communicates with the fire-chamber O by means of flues g, the latter passing up through the upper part of the boiler and serving to assist in the genera tion of steam, as well as heating the chamber E and drying the steam as it passes through coil F. WVithin the hot-air chamber E there is another coil of pipe, F, which connects the steam-chamber f with a steam-dome, G. This coil F consequently is a part of the boiler, and

it is heated in consequence of being in the chamber E.

H H represent two reverberating retorts.

.which are in the form of inverted truncated cones. The upper parts of these retorts com municate, by means of passages h h, with a flue, I, which taps the fire-chamber O at i through the boiler. (Shown clearly in Fig. 1.) This flue I is provided with a damper, j, and the passages h h are also each provided with a damper, 7070. the damper j opened, the flue I communicates directly with the smoke-stack J, and when is closed and 70 It opened the flue I communicates with the retorts. The flue I is supplied with heated air (uncombined or fresh oxygen) by means of a pipe, K, which leads from the ashpit Z). Each retort H is surrounded near its lower end with an annular passage, L, and these passages communicate with the retorts by means of holes Z, (see Figs. 2, 3, and 4,) the passages L communicating with the smokestack J by means of passages m m, (shown in Fig. 4,) thereby constituting reverberating retorts.

M represents conical feeders, which are placed at the centers of the arched vaults or roofs of the retorts and at the lower parts of cylinders N, through which the retorts are fed or charged with ore, a sufficient space being allowed between the lower edges of M and the \Vhen the latter are closed and lower edges of the cylinders N for the ore to pass into the retorts. (See Figs. 2 and 3.) These feeders cause the ore to be well distributed in the retorts, so that they will fill or become charged evenly, and at the same time they will not materially admit of cold atmospheric air, and also will admit of a steam-blast being introduced at any time by means of a pipe, ]?,leading from the steam-dome. By my arrangement it will be seen that I introduce dry steam, the latter being dried in passing through the coil 1 forming a blast to drive off the accumulating vapors in the retorts. It will also follow from this proposed method of introducing steam that in its descent the hottest portion of the retort is reached where a partial or complete decomposition of the steam will be effected, thus producing oxygen and hydrogen where most effective in completing the decomposition of the ores, said gases acting then mostpowerfully in their nascent state.

' The lower end of'the retorts are beveled or shouldered, as shown at a, for the purpose of reducing the area of the grates O and loosen ing the ore above the grates and beneath the holes Z.

The operation is as follows: The blast of atmospheric air entering from the ash-pit b sup- The first-mentioned gases, in uniting with the fresh blast of uncombined oxygen from pipe K, are partially inflamed, and are thus conducted to the retorts, where the oxidizing and volatilizing processes are carried on by the combustion of the volatile elements of the ores under treatment.

Below each grate O of the retorts there is a discharge-room, Q, for a carriage or wagon to enter. These rooms are provided with airtight doors. The discharge is effected by means of a tool inserted through a hole, 0, the prepared ore being worked down into the carmerge or wagon.

I do not claim, broadly, the employment or use of steam in oxidizing ores, as that is quite an old idea, it being first used in 1843, in Russian Finland,at'the iron-works Dals-Bruck. It has also been used in various instances since, in many places, both here and in foreign countries, (see Plattners Metallurgic Roast Process, page 67; Sheerers Lehrbuch der Metallurgie, Band 2, page 7 7 but,

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A reverberatory retort constructed and operating substantially as herein described.

2. The use of steam as a blast to carry forward the vapors evolved from the ore and surround the latter with a constantly-changing atmosphere.

3. The blast-chamber A, boiler B, arranged relatively with the fire-chamber O, substantially as shown,' when said parts, thus arranged, are used in connection with a hot-air pipe, K, leading from the ash-pit of the firechamber into the fine I, which forms a communication between the fire-chamber O and one or more reverberating retorts, H, for the purpose herein set forth.

4. The coil D, in combination with the boiler 13, hot-air chamber E, flue g, and steam-coil F, all arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The annular passages L at the lower parts of the retorts,when arranged, as shown, to com municate with the smoke-stack to form re- Verberatory retorts.

6. The conical feeders M, arranged or applied to the retorts, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

G. W. BAKER.

Witnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTON, O. L. TorLIFFI 

